Suspected Fulani herdsmen yesterday killed four people and critically injured another person in the Southern part of Kaduna State. Also on Sunday, February 11, 2018, the herdsmen killed a 32-year-old man, Olayemi Tunde, at Ipao in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State. This came as herdsmen bearing sophisticated weapons also attacked riot policemen deployed to maintain security at Azege community, Tombo ward of Gaambe- Tiev in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The killing of four people occurred at Bakin Kogi village in Jama’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Those killed, community sources said, were palm wine tapers, who were coming back from checking and tending to their palm trees in the morning, a daily ritual by local tapers. The attack occurred about 10a.m. when majority of the mostly Christian community were in church.

The victims were said to be on the outskirts of their village when they were ambushed by the herdsmen, said to be many and welding guns and other dangerous weapons. One of the victims, who survived the attack, but sustained serious injuries from gunshots, was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Kafanchan, where he was receiving treatment.

The Kaduna State government has condoled with the affected community and sent the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to the area. Mr. Samuel Aruwan, the spokesman for Nasir El-Rufai, said this in a statement. He said: “Following reports of an attack on residents of Bakin Kogi, the state government deployed officials of SEMA in the area to assess the situation and take necessary steps to relieve human suffering with immediate effect.

The SEMA team, led by the agency’s chief executive, Ben Kure, is already in the area. “Security operatives are in the area, where they are investigating the criminal action and providing reassurance to residents. The government is ready to prosecute anyone found culpable by the security investigations.

“While the institutions of law and order are doing their work, the government is appealing to our leaders in our traditional institutions, civic and faith groups to continue the work of calming our communities, and bolstering the constituency for peace, security and the rule of law.”  Aliyu Mukhtar, the state police public relations officer confirmed the attack but said information on the incident was still sketchy.

A resident of the area, who did not want his name mentioned, also confirmed the incident on the phone. He said: “The attack took place about 10a.m. when they were almost home. We were just rounding up from church when we heard gunshots and people started running, scampering for safety. The attack took us by surprise. Many people were still in church.

“They killed four people on the spot while a woman was wounded. They shot her in the chest and she was rushed to the hospital. “The herdsmen ran to the bush as soon as they attacked them. When we were able to locate the place where the attack took place, they had run way.

The person that survived told us it was Fulani and they were many of them.” The resident also accused the soldiers deployed to the community to maintain the peace of failing to act immediately the incident occurred. He said: “We expected that the soldiers would have responded by pursuing the herdsmen but they didn’t do anything. “This is because the leader of the five soldiers sent to our community is a Fulani man.

In fact three of the five soldiers are Fulani, so we can understand the bias. “It was when the soldiers heard that their commander in Kafanchan was coming that they started pretended to be pursuing the bandits in the bush. I believe that was what they were supposed to do immediately they heard of the attack.

“We have never been comfortable with the presence of Fulani soldiers in our midst, more so it is a Fulani man that is in charge of the security team. “Unless the authorities address this glaring bias and ensure balance, we don’t feel safe in the hands of soldiers of Fulani extraction.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Aliyu Mukhtar, confirmed the incident. He, however, disclosed that he was yet to get details from the security team on ground in the area.

Olayemi, a father of two, was allegedly killed by those identified as ‘Bororo’ yesterday afternoon in Ekiti Statte while returning from his farm on his motorcycle with another person. Narrating the incident on the phone, Abiola Ajayi, the Chairman, Ikole Local Government Area, said: “The deceased was an Okada man who has a farm in the settlement. He had gone to his farm to harvest some cassava.

“He was with one other person. They were heading back to town from the farm and have loaded the motorbike with cassava when they saw some Fulani herdsmen coming towards them. “The two of them were said to have been surprised at seeing the herdsmen. They said it was at that point the herdsmen brought out their guns and the farmers had to run for their lives.

“The Bororo were said to have pursued the two men and eventually got Olayemi who they massacred like a cow. We have reported the matter to the nearest police station and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) has since swung into action and sent two vehicles and they have gone to the scene of the murder to take the corpse and also commence investigation.” Head of the hunters in the community, Adebayo Odeyemi, said the hunters had declared war on the herdsmen and would not wait for a repeat of such incident. He said: “We haven’t attacked any herdsman but they have killed one now and right now we will ensure they are not allowed to do this again. We are valiant men not cowards and we will face them this time around.

They have massacred one of us mercilessly and this won’t happen again.” Meanwhile, in the Benue State attack, the herdsmen burnt the Hilux patrol van attached to the operatives. The gunmen, who invaded the community in three different groups, ambushed the security operatives in order to capture them. However the security operatives put up a gallant fight. Irked by their inability to achieve their mission, the herdsmen resorted to destruction property which included the brand new patrol vehicle. Another detachment of Mobile policemen who got wind of the attack, headed for the area to join forces with the security operatives.

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